BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board for August 25 in Riverton, Wyoming

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet for one day in August in Riverton, Wyoming, to discuss issues relating to the management and protection of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. The meeting will take place on Monday, August 25, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).

The upcoming Advisory Board meeting will be held in the Little Theater (SC 109), located in the Student Center Building of Central Wyoming College, 2660 Peck Avenue, Riverton, Wyoming 82501, phone number 1-800-735-8418. The agenda of the meeting can be found in the Friday, July 25, 2014, Federal Register (at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-07-25/pdf/2014-17378.pdf).

The Advisory Board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection and management of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. According to the BLM’s latest official estimate, approximately 49,200 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states.

The public may address the Advisory Board on Monday, August 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement at Monday’s meeting should register in person with the BLM by 12:00 p.m., local time, on that same day at the meeting site. Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings.

Speakers should submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the addresses below or bring a copy to the meeting. There may be a Webcam present during the entire meeting and individual comments may be recorded. Those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement to: National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada, 89502-7147. Comments may also be e-mailed to the BLM (at wildhorse@blm.gov); please include “Advisory Board Comment” in the subject line of the e-mail.

For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ramona DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

The Advisory Board meets up to four times a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.

In its management of wild horses and burros under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the BLM is implementing recommendations made by a June 2013 report of the National Academy of Sciences. For instance, the BLM is taking actions to increase the use of population growth-suppression measures on overpopulated herds roaming Western public rangelands and implementing methods developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for more accurate population estimates.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.